[PP-F7] Silent Service [Neopolitan]

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stood looking over some of his maps he had created over his time exploring, and he just couldn't get over the idea that they were all just big circles. He knew that fact, and yet looking at all of his maps together like this, it still seemed to eat away at him. Sure, Aincrad was a floating castle, but did it have to be circles? He shrugged, and tried his best not to get weirdly nitpicky over this sort of thing again. Nobody else was here to listen to him except his owl, and she had heard it enough times already. Instead, he looked over some of the notes for his maps. His stomach had been rumbling. That was the whole reason he had walked over to his newly cleaned desk. He was going to make it a point to try something new each time he needed to eat, based on the notes from his map.

Poring over them, he remembered one interesting note that a player had given him a ways back on Floor 7. There was a small restaurant, just off the main road. Tacet Cibum, he had written here. A part of Emerath really missed being able to look up what that meant, but he would just have to ask when he got there, he supposed. It was in the settlement of Deepedge, and as he laid his thin cover sheet over top, he could trace just how to get there from the Teleport Gate. Would be simple enough. And with that, he went about to rolling up the map, tying it with string, and placing it in the small brown satchel hanging from his side. With a whistle and a turn on his heels, Emerath was headed out the door, with a flutter of white feathers settling on his shoulder as he walked. He locked the store up behind him and he was on his way to Floor 7.

A nice stroll through the snow, a teleport, and a trip through the mountains later, and Emerath was at his destination, standing in front of the small shop. A sign confirmed the name, and he read the tagline, "Toast as golden as silence." See, that was what had interested Emerath in the first place. The adventurer who had told him of the place during one of Emerath's bar visits in the area had mentioned this interesting restaurant where the girl who served the food didn't say a word. The food had been good, he had noted to Emerath, but what was interesting was the reception, the quality service with a smile and no speaking. Idly, Emerath wondered if perhaps she might have been deaf, but he also supposed that the adventurer would have mentioned that, and then he wondered if SAO would actually be able to get around that with how the Nervegear worked.

He most likely stood in front of the restaurant for a good five or ten minutes like a moron, simply lost in thought and staring at the very simple sign. He heard a bit of muttering as one or two people came or went from the place, something about why this strange man was just gawking at this sign with a blank stare on his face. This seemed to pull Emerath out of his daydreaming, as he slowly turned to move into the restaurant proper. Immediately he was greeted by a warm atmosphere and lovely scents of cooked food and pine floating through the air. He pushed his way further inside, looking for a nice place to sit, before deciding on a chair near the fireplace. He slid his coat off his shoulders, prompting the owl to give an annoyed hoot and hover in the air near his head, before settling back on his shoulders once again. Emerath pulled some corn from the coat pocket and held a hand of it out to her in apology, and the owl happily accepted, before receiving a pat on the head. He laid the coat over the back of the chair, and then slid onto it with a sigh, as Mist made her way to the back of it, sitting on top of the coat. The snowy owl began to prune herself from the trip, and despite that walking around had no actual physical exertion on him, he still felt exhausted. It had probably been all the cleaning he had done. He could use a nice warm meal right now.

So Emerath sat up and tapped his chin, as he looked around for the silent lady who was reported to be the service for this place. Emerath caught a woman who made her way from the dining area to the kitchen after serving another customer, and Emerath snapped his fingers, realizing that must be just who he was looking for. He stood and instructed Mist to stay as he walked to the counter. As he reached his destination, he couldn't quite tell if the woman was ready to receive the order, so he cleared his throat and spoke, "Hello, yes. If you're accepting orders, I'd like a..." And it was in that moment when Emerath realized he hadn't even looked at a menu, or planned this out at all. He simply was just too hungry. "A chef's special," he managed to get out, with a light pink hue on his cheeks for really not preparing for this. Ah well, if he was served a live squid in a bowl of cereal, it was his own fault. He hoped that would do, as he waited for some sort of confirmation from the cook.

[Neopolitan 0]

(I am so glad I made this post right before dinner)

It was honestly one of her more busy days, but it was still quite the empty restaurant she had to tend to. Very rarely would actual players come in here, it just seemed a few of the m,ore advanced NPCs had taken a liking to her restaurant. Listening to a pair of what seemed like miners was always interesting, and they probably had dropped a few useful hints about things she should check out one day. As she went back into the kitchen to prepare some more basic food she heard the bell of her door ring and turned to see a man walking in with an owl on his shoulder.

Walking out to tend to the counter, she waited patiently for the man to come up to her. She was never terribly clear about what she had or how to order it, but people were usually smart enough to figure things out just fine. There were several dishes on display, and those that needed refrigeration were kept in a strangely iced over area of the glass display. Though he was not in sight, her Cobalt colored Pseudodragon was the one who kept the section icy cold to preserve the freshness of the food. And shortly after bringing her head out of the display case, the man told her his order. She nodded her head and went back towards the kitchen.

Seeing roman on top of the oven again, she quickly shooed him off of it so she could make something a little bit special for the first player customer she had had in a while. Sure they weren't here to grab any of the special items she had for sale, but at least she could try to show off her cooking skills. Roman scampered back towards the front to re-frost the refrigerated section of the store's display as Neo contemplated what exactly her 'chef's special' would be. Messing around with a few ingredients, she decided to try something she had yet to serve, but remembered her mother making it once and loving it.

Doing her best to make the meal in an efficient amount of time, Neo was also working on ensuring she had a decent amount of sides to go with it. She had a set of her golden garlic bread ready to go and took that out to the man first. Making sure he also had a pitcher of water and a glass, Neo returned to the kitchen to make sure what she was making was not burning in the oven. It seemed as though everything was nearly ready, all that she needed to do know was roll the chicken with some ham, cheese, and bread crumbs. Once that was done, she plated it with a small side and brought it out to the player.

On the plate was a tender and warm Chicken Cordon Bleu, rolled with bread crumbs, thinly sliced ham, and a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese. On the side, there was an arugula salad with some radishes inside of it. A few cups with various salad dressings were provided along with a short list of wines. She didn't have much of a selection, as the game was limited, but she did her best to make sure that they felt at home.

@Emerath

[Emerath 0]

As quiet as the establishment was, once the order was put in, Emerath at least had the satisfaction of knowing that he would be served pretty quickly. The one cook serving the one customer waiting for an order. That was pretty nice, actually, and provided this place didn't become incredibly busy, he would have to remember to come again even if only for that. Provided the food was good of course.

As Emerath waited, Mist softly cooed from the chair she was sitting on, and at first Emerath just attributed it to a curiosity about why her owner hadn't come back yet, but had insisted she stayed. But then Emerath caught a glimpse of a dragon like creature frosting some of the meals on display. Emerath couldn't help but chuckle, as he assured his owl that there was no danger, with a hand signal, and the owl quieted down for the moment at least. It was a clever use for a familiar, at least. All Mist ever did was sit around, look pretty, and eat worms and mice. Not that Emerath ever minded that really. She was pretty damn good at all those things, and he always appreciated the company.

After another bit of waiting, Emerath's patience was finally rewarded, as the woman brought out an absolutely lovely looking dish, that was most assuredly not a live squid in a bowl of cereal. Emerath was relieved at that. Though, he had been imagining a happy squid splashing around in milk, and found that thought oddly satisfying and adorable. But nevertheless, here was a meal, and he would most certainly enjoy it if the smell was anything to go off of. "This looks absolutely lovely!" the man confirmed to the cook, and he took in another good whiff of the steaming meal. "I'm going to be honest," he said, as he grabbed a nearby wrapped up utensil set, "I don't think I'm going to be able to wait to get back to my chair. I have to try this now."

And with that, Emerath set about to cutting off a piece of the steaming meat, before taking the bite. It was savory, and juicy, with the sharpness of the cheese showing through. If there was one thing he always appreciated about SAO, it was just how well it mimicked the real world for taste. Oh, he was going to enjoy this meal, and he had only taken one bite. "Absolutely delicious," he confirmed to the woman, before continuing with, "Would you rather me pay you now, or after the meal? I'm fine with it either way. I'd say even after just one bite you deserve your payment."

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

There was thankfully not much of a wait before Neo was able to get a response from her customer. They had taken a bite right there as she served it to him. After blushing a little bit from his compliments, Neo just held up her hands in a waiting signal and gestured towards the table where it she guessed his familiar was perched. There was no point in collecting any sort of payment while they were still enjoying their meal. And if they dine and dashed, that was going to be their problem and not hers. She had gotten fairly well versed in creating great tasting food with the simplest of ingredients, so it wasn't that huge of a cost anyhow.

Once she was sure the guest was comfortable, she made a point of straightening everything out in her display window. Though they were almost certainly not here to actually buy the more expensive enchanted food, hopefully they would notice it and put a good word in to their friends. Word of mouth was about the only way she could really advertise her services. The only other times she got to show off her skills aside from random passerby was for raids. But by then people are eating for the practicality of it and not actually for the taste of it. Maybe she could change that viewpoint with some excellent cooking skills, but who knows if that could actually happen or not.

@Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath had expected the woman to speak, to find out that the previous adventurer's statements about the odd woman whose service included no dialogue was nothing but a silly made up thing. That he'd have a good laugh as the butt of someone else's joke. But no, here she was, quiet as a mouse. She gave him hand gestures, and Emerath was figuring that she was saying to wait on payment. It was too bad he had never learned sign language, but it was clear she wasn't deaf so he wasn't even sure how much good that would do him. Emerath also couldn't think of a situation where the game would keep a player from talking. No, this probably wasn't the game. The girl had taken some sort of a vow of silence, he assumed.

Emerath cut another piece of his chicken, and popped it into his mouth. He wasn't ready to sit down. Not yet. This girl, being exactly as described, was an interesting point for him. He wanted to find out more. After he was done chewing and swallowing, he said, "You know, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Emerath. The person who recommended this place didn't give me your name. Would you mind if I asked for it?"

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo noticed that the man wasn't moving away, and wanted to continue the conversation they were having, if you could call it that. Neo listened as she made sure everything was all set and done in her display for the millionth time. Once Emerath had introduced himself, Neo grabbed the pad of paper that she had sitting at the till. Writing her username on it, she turned it around for Emerath to see. It was nice not having to send a message to speak to people, though that was a luxury she mostly only had while in her own shop. Writing on a piece of paper while out and about wasn't that effective of a tool. The message system was far more convenient, even if it did put her at risk of getting jumped on.

Gesturing for Roman to come towards her, the pseudodragon jumped up onto her shoulder and coiled lightly around her neck. His cool scales soothed the small aches Neo had from looking up at everyone. Being one of the shortest people in this game certainly had its drawbacks.

@Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath couldn't help but let a small smile play on his lips as the girl actively made the choice to grab a pad to write on, before writing the username out for Emerath. "Ah, Neopolitan. I suppose that fits, what with the hair and all. Fits better than Emerath does. That was just a name that my friends came up with in high school, and it just sort of stuck somehow," Emerath gave a chuckle, before his mind thought of Teion, and the laugh caught in his throat. He coughed out the last laugh, and then cut another piece of chicken, before thoughtfully popping it in his mouth.

Mist, seeing the pseudodragon go to Neopolitan must have felt left out, as she gave a small hoot from the chair, before deciding to fly over and sit on Emerath's head as he chewed his food. Emerath nearly choked in surprise from the sudden weight on his head, and he coughed after he managed to force the piece of chicken down, and reached up to grab the owl. She gave another hoot, and flew backwards, hovering behind the man, making him grab nothing but air. Oh the sight he must look all of a sudden. Like a bad slapstick comedy. He turned to look over his shoulder at the wily owl, before sighing. "Really? I'm in the presence of a lovely lady who just cooked me a wonderful meal, and we're having the most pleasant of conversations, and you're making me look like a fool? Some wingwoman you are, Mist."

Emerath got nothing more than another hoot as she landed on a nearby chair. Emerath grunted back and shook his head, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small jar. He took the lid off, and set it on the counter near the owl, who then went to town eating the worms inside. "This is Mist. She's my lovely owl companion. What's the name of your dragon? Also, if I'm bothering you at all, feel free to let me know. Or just, walk away I suppose. I'll try my best not to take it personally," Emerath said with a joking smile. It was a good thing for him that he was really good at basically holding a conversation with himself. Having someone mute to talk to wasn't as easy as one might think.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo just smiled and nodded at Emerath as he talked about the origin of his name. For Neo, it was just an extension of the rather strange name her parents had given her. It wasn't really something she had given much thought into. Another part of her that had just rushed into joining the masses of this death game. Her thoughts were thankfully distracted from spiraling though as she watched the raather funny scene that was Emerath messing with his owl familiar. On top of this , she had to turn away a little bit to conceal her blushing at the copmliments she was given, though not directly. She was still getting used to being called such nice things, even after it's been years since she last had to deal with bullying.

Neo turned her head back towards Emerath as he asked his question, shaking her head to let him know he wasn't being annoying, Neo wrote down the name of her familiar, Roman, onto the pad of paper, turning it aroudn once more. She didn't really mind giving out this sort of information, as she had very rarely had issues with PKers. There was only one incident with it, and it wasn't because they were hunting her down specifically. Letting the man eat some more, Neo turned to tend some more to her wares. As nice as it was to have a refigeration familiar, she also needed to make sure the few items that may spoil hadn't yet. Thankfully, it seemed that nothing had except for a ffew of the garnish items she had in the display case.

@Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath looked to the name on the pad she had offered after his question, and nodded in response. "Nice name," Emerath said, before cutting another piece of chicken and continuing his meal. Not much left. Emerath had to think of something to continue this conversation, but Neopolitan had gone back to cleaning and organizing. It made Emerath think of himself in his shop. Certainly if the meal he had gotten was this good, something might be of use for him to take on the road. Though, unfortunately, cooks and alchemists were very similar in their stat based creations, so he wasn't sure if any of it was actually necessary. But perhaps he should be polite anyway. At the very least he'd probably end up taking dessert.

As he looked back to his meal, finding only small scraps left, Emerath sighed. "You know, this meal was lovely," Emerath admitted, "and I'll certainly recommend this shop to anyone I meet." Then he looked at Neopolitan tending her store. "Okay, so I'm going to be honest here," Emerath said, as he tried to consider his words very carefully here, lest he seem like a complete jerk. "Your... being a mute. It has me very interested. While the food is an absolutely pleasant surprise, that was actually what made your shop stand out against the many of others that I could have come to," he explained.

"Now, I understand if you think this is completely rude, but I'd like to know more. But I'm not one to pry into terrible things if you think it so. So, is it taboo, or perhaps will you indulge me my curiosity?" Emerath said, mustering his best awkward smile at the terrible way he approached all this, unsure of how he could have even done better.

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo finished up her cleaning, and Roman uncoiled from her neck. It was not uncommon for him to want to wander off on hiw own, but not usually while there were others around. Neo's praasol was below the wooden part of the counter though in case a fight from a random event happened. They were in a safe zone, but that didn't mean you couldn't be too careful.

As Emerath talked more, she heard the inevitable question about why she was mute. She wasn't entirely comfortable being asked that question, but she had gotten quite good at deflecting it with a quikcer answer. Pulling up the messaging window, Neo wrote up a response and sent it to Nearby players. It was something complex enough she would rather it be in their message history rather than write it down on a piace of paper.

Spoiler

TO: @Emerath

    I am mute in the real world, and don't see a need to be speaking in this one.

 

[Emerath 0]

As Emerath ate the last bits of his meal, he looked to the message he had received from Neopolitan. Really, he should have expected something like that, but it still didn't make much sense. He wasn't sure if he should actually call her out on it. Though Emerath had no proof of his own, he felt like the Nervegear would allow someone with the inability to talk to be able to do so. And what would someone who can't do something want to do most? They'd want to do exactly that. Emerath had yet to meet anyone blind or deaf in this game, thanks to the NerveGear feeding input directly into their brain. He imagined that a mute would be the same, unless the person was mute by choice. That seemed to be Neopolitan's case. A personal vow of silence.

Emerath decided it best not to pry any further, but then he also wasn't sure if this conversation was going to go anywhere else. So, Emerath whistled, and Mist hopped onto his shoulder in response. The man stood, before opening a trade window with Neopolitan and transferring her some Col for the meal. "Well, I appreciate it. The answer and the meal." Emerath smiled at her, and then sent the woman a quick friend request, with the followup of, "And if you ever need a healer, I'm more than happy to help. I'm a wanderer by trade these days, so I don't get up to much besides the occasional surprise adventure. Oh, and potions. I make those too."

[Neopolitan 0]

It seemed that Emerath was finishing up their meal, and as usual Neo was providing minimal conversation. Though she was a little bit startled with the friend request sent to her, she did accept it. There was no reason to decline it, as Neo could always use a few more people to know in this world. It was much better than the real world, where everyone she met seemed to want to tease her into the darkest corners of wherever they were. Here, she could actually make connections and people wouldn't mock her for her silence.

Neo made a few more passes at her display, in case Emerath wished to order something else or perhaps ask her to go somewhere for the time being. No sense going into the back while there was a customer and no orders in the middle of being filled. That would just be bad customer service.

@Emerath